Photographers are faced with a dizzying array of technology and technique updates every year.

While all the old stuff still works, the new stuff is important to know, even if you don’t plan to use it. Likewise, and this will be the BIG shocker to some of the younger among you – the old stuff is important to know too – again, even if you don’t intend to use it.

Workshops, conferences, meet-ups, photo walks, camera clubs, high school, college and tech school photo classes – these are all great places to investigate and to learn.

Even though I’ve taught more than 150 photo-related workshops and classes, I am not immune to the need for constant learning. I’m going back to school…again. I try to attend photo workshops every year. Not the ones I teach – but the ones I don’t. I haven’t been as faithful to this lately as I used to be. But over the next year I hope to attend at least three or four photo workshops as a student. I already know what I know. I need to know what others know. You’re never too old or too smart or too experienced to learn SOMETHING. So don’t be surprised if you see me sitting next to you at a Joe McNally workshop or somewhere else. It’s just me trying to remind myself why I do this photo thing.

P.S. – if you’d like to know which workshops to invest in, here are a few people who teach and who I admire and who I have first-hand experience with. I am sure there are many others who I could mention, but I am trying to limit this to people who I have actually worked with or learned from. If I went on reputation alone, I could add another dozen to the list.

a. Anything involving my friend Rick Sammon – Any photo subject

b. Bill Fortney – Landscapes

c. Scott Kelby – Photoshop

d. Clay Blackmore – Weddings/Portraits

e. Bambi Cantrell – Posing/Portraits

f. Arthur Morris – Birds

g. Greg Downing – Birds

h. Ben Willmore – Photoshop

i. Deke McClelland – Photoshop

j. Julieanne Kost – Photoshop

k. Joseph Meehan – Panoramic Photography

And yes I still teach and speak about photography but my workshop schedule is very light these days. I don’t teach as often as I used to. If you’re interested in my appearances, here is the list as it now stands through March, 2010. The link also contains a way to find out about Rick’s workshops.